Guard to build a New Facility in Afton

The Wyoming Army National Guard is planning to build a 30,000 square foot Wyoming Army National Guard readiness center near Star Valley High School, in Afton. The building will replace a 1950's built complex and provide Lincoln County with key structures in case of a disaster.

Lt. Col. Guy Beaudoin, construction and facilities management officer for the Wyoming Army National Guard, said the new readiness center, along with a 12,000 square foot storage building, will be designed to withstand earthquakes.

The current armory lacks the space for the large trucks, boats and bridging equipment used by the Soldiers of the 1041st Engineer Company that are based in the Afton armory, he said. Efforts are underway to have Lincoln County officials take over the older armory.

The cost of the new facility is $13.6 million, including design and construction, with the federal government paying $10.2 million and the state paying $3.4 million.

Beaudion said a cooperative effort between the state offices, Army National Guard Planning and Programming, and the National Guard Bureau, helped move the project forward five years ahead of typical military construction requests.

The contract award is scheduled to take place after September 2013, followed by approximately 18 months of construction. Beaudoin said he hopes to have the unit in the building by January 2015.

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